Most of you wont beleive 1 year old saw it im 11 it was really good but one of the most violent movies evermade and horrible language.
Saving Private Ryan
(2007, Rated R, Action/adventure, Starring Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Bloody, tragic war epic doesn't hold back.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 16 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Saving Private Ryan was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
Parents need to know that this is Steven Spielberg's most violent film, especially in the opening 25-minute D-Day invasion massacres. There's no sugar-coating, no "cartoon violence," no nameless, inconsequential casualties like LucasFilm Imperial Stormtroopers. This is unrestrained, ugly, and dirty combat, meant to make the viewer appreciate the monstrous human cost and tragic sacrifice of the Allied beachhead -- a price mostly paid by young men. Stunned, vengeful U.S. soldiers are seen committing what would be considered atrocities (shooting surrendering Germans, as well as innocent non-Germans who can't speak English). Even though characters are religious -- one prays fervently before killing with his sniper skills -- everyone swears a lot, too. Some "special editions" carry supplementary documentary material, including clips of Steven Spielberg's own 8mm war movies he made as a kid.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the D-Day invasion, and especially the troop makeup of WWII -- a lot of fighting and dying was done by soldiers who were hardly more than boys. The behavior of characters under fire includes cowardice and vicious homicide, unleashed even at surrendering enemy. Do you think those man can be excused for such a breakdown of discipline? What about soldiers in the field today? Was the mission to save Ryan worth the risk after all? What other war movies and documentaries have you seen? Do they seem true to life? How about the coverage you see in the news? Is it balanced? How would you be able to tell?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Saving Private Ryan
What’s the Story?
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN opens with a harrowing, blood-soaked depiction of the WWII Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Countless young men are cut down, turning the ocean red. When the smoke clears from the worst of D-Day, we meet the characters. Capt. Miller (Tom Hanks) gets orders to lead his platoon into a dangerous zone swarming with Germans, to find a low-ranking soldier named James Ryan. Ryan was one of several brothers who went to war, and all the others are now dead. The U.S. top brass believes the Ryan family has suffered enough, and that their remaining son should be brought home safely. While it's a mission of "mercy," it's going to cause the Americans even more danger and death, with no perceptible strategic goal. A prologue and epilogue are set in a present-day cemetery -- with acres and acres of graves to mark the dead. And it pretty much asks the viewer what the soldiers ask themselves: if rescuing one man was worth all this carnage.
Is It Any Good?
The opening D-Day scene is not exploitation, but rather a master filmmaker's true-life recreation of one of the bloodiest battles in human history, to make one appreciate the bravery and the loss. Star director Steven Spielberg, who sought the input of war historians and survivors to make Saving Private Ryan as authentic as possible, tries to show the viewer, after decades of restrained and bloodless Hollywood-backlot war movies, propaganda flag-wavers, and fluffy WWII film musicals, that war is a terrible thing. Even the "good war" to smash the undeniable Axis of Evil that was Germany and Japan.
Expecting younger kids to sit through the horror at the beginning is too much, but the movie isn't all surface gore and sensation. It raises very complex issues of morality and ethics under fire. And often the circumstances are literally under fire, where there's no time for Miller and his squabbling men to think over life and death matters or debate how to do the right thing. Indeed the most well educated and thoughtful American freezes up and has a breakdown in the thick of the fighting.
Movie Details
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, Director: Steven Spielberg
Run time: 170 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/11/2007, DVD release: 11/02/1999
MPAA Rating: R for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence, and for language.
Run time: 170 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/11/2007, DVD release: 11/02/1999
MPAA Rating: R for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence, and for language.
Our Members Say
See all 50 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Really good movie!
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
WHY DO PEOPLE SAY THAT IT'S BAD TO BE REALISTIC?!?!
Look, sure, this movie is violent, but it IS a classic, and has many good messages loke teamwork and loyalty. The truth is, sadly, that war is violent. The only way to portray war is with violence. By age 12, kids should be mature enough to accept the profanity, be able to understand the violence, and understand the reality and brutalities of war. This is one of the best movies ever made. It should not be missed. By anyone.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
Touching
Touching war movie. I would say it's fine for a Mature audience. Amazing story line. They drop the F bomb a lot and there is a lot of gore. But the movie has a meaning to it. its not just a shoot 'em up movie, that they shoot people for fun
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
You need to show your kids this for them to respect the sacrifice they made in WW2
This is a must to show your kids. They need to see the sacrifice that those soldiers gave. I suggest concidering the amount of realism 14+ but i warn you ts not sugar coated.
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I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Parents should definitely be warned that this is one of the most violent movies ever made. The 20-minute Normandy sequence has some of the most gruesome and disturbing shots ever captured on film (the worst of which is horribly gashed man crying for his mother while grabbing onto his entrails). Worse is when characters we've grown to sympathize with over the course of the film are killed quickly and unpredictably. Other scenes depict the effects of war on human beings. One shot shows an armless man finding a missing limb and taking it for himself, and another shows a soldier (Jewis) burst into tears after finding a German knife. But we must consider the point of such scenes. What Spielberg is trying to get across here is that war is hell. The people that die for our nation are not random, faceless individuals. They are regular, everyday boys and girls like you or me. Reviewers who say watching this will desensitize one to violence are horribly wrong. It instead reminds us of the ultimate sacrafices soldiers have to make for those back home. Kids who enjoy the latest first-person shooters should watch this movie and be reminded of just how horrifying war really is. That being said, Saving Private Ryan is a moving and emotional masterwork, and I believe every individual must watch this movie once in their lifetime. If your child is like me and can handle gritty, lifelike violence, you should consider having them tag along. In any other case, maybe they can wait for a few years.
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I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
The Best War Film Ever Made and One of the Best Films of All Time.
This is a devastating yet brilliant and beautiful war epic that shows the true meaning of warfare: how much our soldiers matter. There's no stupid liberalism here; it's all the harsh, gritty truth. The acting is superb, the direction phenomonal, and the action spectacularly realistic, so PARENTS: this is not for young viewers. It is raw, bloody, no-holds-barred action and war menace throughout; multiple sad deaths annd much distress. Although beautiful, this is a violent film. I highly recommend it. Thanks for reading - Movie Man
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Saving Private Ryan
I would watch this movie any dy with my son, but for other familys with a little stricter movie rating rules, I would recommend this movie for kids 16+. Its a brilliant movie with amazing acting and intensely graphic war scenes. The storyline is powerful and will keep your eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end.
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I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
Fine for adults, off for 17 and under.
I think this is a good movie, but it is definitely not for kids. I read on Wikipedia that the violence was enough to get this rated NC-17, but the MPAA decided to rate it R because of it's historical value. I'm not saying you should never watch this movie, but no one under 18 or 19 should.
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I rate this title off for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
This may be one of the most violent war movies you will ever see.
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I rate this title off for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Gory...
Sure it is a very positive film but, it is very violent and I urge parents to see this movie with their children.
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I rate this title off for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
GRAPHIC, VIOLENT, EXPLICIT, AND AWESOME
POSSIBLY THE MOST GRAPHIC, VIOLENT MOVIE YOU WILL EVER SEE! Limbs are blown off, organs are spilling out, f-bombs dropping every 4 minutes. but the BEST war movie ever. I was only able to see it because it was on tv
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Best depiction of war isn't a good thing
It is very gruesome including a scene with a man crying for his mother and clutching his entrails and another where a man drags a wounded comrade and then looks back to see the comrade missing half the body. In other words it is very bloody and depicts war well. There are scenes where the men talk about sex in the end. Strong language is used. In a closing scene u see a nazi slowly pushing a knife into an american and whispering things. then you see an american shoot him after he surrenders. Not recomended for anyone under 13.
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
tHIS WAR MOVIE IS SO AWSOME BEST WAR MOVIE EVER!!!
THIS WAR MOVIE IS THE MOST BLODEST MOST VILOENT MOST GROOSEM MOST BLOODY WAR MOST GRAPHIL MOST RELSITIC WAR MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN PARNETS NEVER LET YPUR CHILD UNDER 17 WATCH THIS MOVIE IF YOU DO PROVIDED PARENTAL GUIDENCE!!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
A great eye opener to kids to realise was is not all glory. The whole movie will have kids sitting there stunned at the horror of it all. The movie is simply savage, with the film depicting the great pains of war. Great directing by legedary Steven Spielberg, a classic.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
This is one of my favorite movies. The first 25 minutes are very graphic and have a bad influence on younger kids. Spielberg very accurately shows the fears soldiers go through and shows that they are like normal people. None of the soldiers comes in to save the day like most people think they will. It is a very heartbreaking movie but it filmmaking at near its best. It also shows what war veterans go through. It is a war movie like no other. *This review was written by a 12 year old.
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I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
Just how war is
Good movie, strong violence and language. Mature audiences recommended, but i dont think females would be attracted to this movie.
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I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
Excellent; Probably the Best War Film I've Ever Seen.
This is a brilliant film. It has constant, no-holds-bar action (especially the opening and the climax)and very moving preformances. Well done, Spielberg, you've done it again.
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I rate this title off for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great movie, but Too Much Violence for Younger Reviewers
Another great piece from Spielberg, this is a film not for children. The first 25 minutes of the movie is one of the most violent pieces in cinema, and simply from that part, you know it isn't for kids. People under age 16 could easily become desensitized to the violence present in this film. I saw it at age 16, and it was a pretty gruesome film, and often times made me cringe. The swearing is also bad, but considering it is a war movie, as Tim O'Brien put it, "If you send your kids to war, expect them to come home talking dirty." The role models are very good, especially Tom Hanks' character who risks and gives his life for another man. One of the ultimate stories of sacrifice for a greater cause, it is a wonderful piece for anyone age 17 and up.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Five out of five stars.
This story is one that needs to be shown everywhere. A fine movie that makes you realize that we can't watch and wait. Go.
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
The Best War Movie of ALL Time. A must see!!!
We watched this in high school, and my God, it was beyond amazing. It is VERY graphic (blood, guts, dismemberment), but it is amazing nonetheless. I was able to handle it as a 14 year old without screaming or crying (is this what parents are afraid of us doing when we see a R rated movie?). Although, I could understand that some teens might be disturbed by the content, but if they want to watch it, let them. It is an amazing emotional WW2 tale. If you want to show your kid an action movie, this should be it. You won't regret it.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 86% | of parents say it's too violent |
| 86% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 43% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 43% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
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